Method and means for feeding blanks



April 28, 1953 A. J. LEwis METHOD AND MEANS FOR FEEDING BLANKS 5'Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1948 Arl'lzur I Lewis.

ig m/ f 3mm Arthur J Lewis.

'5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Attorneys Apnl 28, 1953 A J LEWIS METHOD AND MEANS FOR FEEDINQ; BLANKS Filed sept. 20, 1948 April 28,' 1953 A. J. LEWIS METHOD AND MEANS 08 FEEDING BLANKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed sa n 20, 1948 Ariluu' J Lewis.

' Ai'i'orrzeys April 28, 1953 A. J. LEWIS METHOD AND MEANS FOR FEEDING BLANKS 5 shuts-Sheet! Filed Sept. 20, 1948 :1 Arl'hyi- JILewis. %MW 7" azuzw Attorneys April 28, 1953 A. J. LEWIS 2,636,733

METI-IOb AND MEANS FOR FEEDING BLANKS Filed Sept. 20, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 .5 a ge (D M H! WNW 1i IQ k FLv-Q.

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A?! lion-Legs Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND MEANS FOR FEEDING BLANKS Application September 20, 1948, Serial No. 50,147

17 Claims.

This invention relates to feeder mechanism, and more particularly to mechanism for feedin flat sheets or blanks from the bottom of a stack or pile.

It has previously been proposed to provide feeder mechanism to feed flat sheets or blanks from the bottom of a pile in order to permit the addition of blanks to the top of the pile by the operator during the feeding operation. Difiiculty has been experienced with the (previous mechanisms however, in properly separating the bottom blank from the pile during the feeding operation, and it is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide simple and efficient mechanism for overcoming this diniculty.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feeder mechanism so constituted as to insure positive and substantially complete separation of the bottom blank from the remaining blanks preparatory to the actual feeding thereof, in order to insure positive feeding of one blank at a time.

Another object of the invention is to provide feeder mechanism of the above type adapted to move and position the blank in timed relationship with the operation of the mechanism.

Still another object is to provide feeder mechanism so constituted as to insure satisfactory feeding of damaged or defective blanks.

A further object is to provide feeder mechanism so consituted as to eliminate the necessity of riffiing or separating the blanks prior to placing them in the feeder.

Yet another object is the provision of feeder mechanism adapted to insure positive engagement of the feeder elements with the blanks.

These and other objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are utilized for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be taken as defining the limits of the invention. reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts through the several views,

Fig. lista side elevation, with some of the parts broken away, showing a feeder mechanism-constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the mechanism;

Fig. 4-. is a rear elevation view partially in section, the section being taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view, partially in section, of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is another detail view, partially in section, showing the mechanism of Fig. 5 in another operating position, and

Fig. '7 is a further detail view, partially in section, of another portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, a novel feeder mechanism embodying the principles of the invention is illustrated as being of the bottom feed type including a frame 4, on which are rotatably mounted a drive shaft 5, a feed roll shaft 6, an elevator finger shaft 1, a picker finger shaft 8, and a feed finger shaft 9. As will be described more fully hereinafter the shafts i and 8 are preferably duplicated on the opposite side of the machine, and in addition an upper feed roll shaft it] is carried by the feeder frame as shown. A support I I mounted on the frame 4 in connection with additional supports l2 and I3, shown in Fig. 3, serve to support a pile of sheets such as carton blanks 14, these blanks being positioned on the supports by guides l5 and I 6.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be noted that, as referred to above, an elevator finger shaft l1 and a picker finger shaft l8 are provided on the other side of the feeder and mounted in the same manner as shafts I and 8. Shafts 1 and I1 have elevator fingers I9 and 20 secured thereto respectively, shaft 8 having secured thereto a pair of picker finger arms 2|, with a corresponding pair of arms 22 being secured to shaft I8. A pair of feeder arms 23 are secured to shaft 9, being provided at their upper ends with toothed feeder elements 24 secured thereto as shown. Arms2l and 22 are provided respectively with toothed picker fingers 25 and Z6 pivotally connected thereto by pivot pins 21 and 28, the outer ends of the fingers being connected to the arms by springs 29 and '30 for purposes to be more fully described hereinafter.

In order to provide a suitable drive for the feeder, the drive shaft 5 is provided with a clutch mechanism 3! and a drive gear 32 for connection with a suitable drive motor, not shown, the lat being arranged to drive the shaft in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3. This shaft controls the operation of the feed roll shaft 6, as well as the operation of shafts l and I1, 8 and i8, and shaft 9. Preferably a gear 33 fixed on the shaft 5 meshes with a smaller gear 34 fixed on the feed roll shaft 6, thus serving to drive the latter in a clockwise direction at a higher speed than shaft 5. Opposed face cams 35 and 35 are fixed in opposed relationship at either end of shaft 5 and are provided with cam lobes 31 and 38, the outer faces of these cams bearing respectively against cam follower rollers 39 and d carried by picker shaft arms ii and 42 respectively mounted on shafts 8 and 58, the rollers being urged into engagement with the cam faces by a tension spring 33 which is connected between arms M and 62 as shown. With such a construction it will be readily understood that on rotation of shaft oscillating movement in timed relationship therewith will be imparted to the shafts 8 and H8 in opposite directions.

The elevator finger shafts 7 and i i are likewise connected for oscillation. by means of a cam 44 fixed on the shaft 5. As shown, the cam l bears against a roller 15 mounted on a lever ii; which is carried by a transfer shaft ill mounted on the frame 4. Connecting rods 8 and d9 connect arms 50 and 56, fixed on shaft M, with lever arms 52 and 53 fixed respectively on shafts i and I7, while a tension spring be suitably connected between lever d6 and a portion of the frame 4 serves to maintain engagement between roller &5 and cam M.

Oscillation of the shaft 9 is accomplished through the medium of a crank pin 55 on the right end of shaft 5, as viewed in Fig. 3, having a connecting rod 55 journaled thereon at one end and connected at the other end with an arm 57 fixed on the shaft 9. Thus it will be seen that means are provided for oscillat ng the shafts 7, 8 and 9 in timed relationship with the drive shaft 5, and for rotating the feed roll shaft ii at a speed greater than the speed of shaft 5. It will also be understood from the foregoing description that shafts l and 8 and if and I8 respectively are arranged in opposed relationship and oscillate in opposite directions. With regard to the feed roll mechanism, a pair of spaced feed rolls 5% are fixed on shaft 6 for rotation therewith and a corresponding pair of similarly spaced feed rolls 553 are ,journaled for rotation on shaft id, the latter being mounted in the frame 43 as indicated and held against rotation thereon as by means of set screws 80. In order to provide the necessary feeding pressure between rolls 58 and 59, the shaft ii] is preferably made of flexible material, such as spring steel, and is so mounted in the frame as to be distorted upwardly between the ends sufiiciently to insure engagement between the upper and lower feed rolls, this obviating the need for separate spring mechanism to insure en agement between the upper and lower rolls with a force sufficient to insure proper feeding of the blanks. It will be understood that because of the ratio of gears 33 and 34, the surface speed of the rollers 58 is greater than the maximum speed at which the blanks are moved by feeder elements 24, thus insuring that the rolls will take the blanks away from the feeder elements.

The construction, arrangement, and timing of the picker fingers, elevator fingers and feeder elements are of particular importance in the proper operation of the mechanism. As shown in Fig. 4, for example, the picker fingers 25 and 26 are mounted for limited oscillating movement on arms 2! and 22 by pivot pins 21 and 28, oscillation in a clockwise direction being limited by similar abutments 6! on the levers, and the fingers being urged in this direction at all times by the springs 29 and 30. An undercut tooth 62 is provided adjacent the inner end of the picker fingers, the base of the tooth merging with a guide portion 63, and the depth of the tooth being substantially the same as or slightly less than the thickness of the blanks to be fed.

Supports ll, i2 and [3 for the blanks are arranged longitudinally of the feeder and suitably attached to the frame, the arrangement being such that the outer supports II and i3 are spaced inwardly from the longitudinal edges of the blanks M to permit substantial downward deflection of the longitudinal edge portions of the lowermost blank by the operation of the picker fingers, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

As shown in Fig. 2, the blanks i i are provided at their left ends with minor fiaps [iii and G5 and major flaps 66 and 61, while the right end is provided with a pair of flaps 68 and 69. The blanks are positioned on the feeder supports by guides I5 and I6, flaps 61 and 69 being positioned laterally by guides 15 and i5 respectively, and the blanks being positioned against longitudinal movement to the left by engagement of the minor flaps 64 and 65 with guide I5 and against movement to the right by virtue of the engagement of the right end of the blanks adjacent the fiap 69 with the guides It. In order, however, to permit feeding movement of the lowermost blank to the right, the guides it, which are supported on brackets 70 carried by frame 3, have their lower ends spaced upward from the plane of the upper surfaces of supports H, i 2 and I3 sufficiently to permit the passage of a single blank. The guides iii are attached to brackets 10 by screws El, the slots 12 in the brackets permitting the guides to be adjusted vertically in order to permit the feeder to be ad justed for blanks of different thicknesses.

In the preferred sequence of operation, the outer edge portions of the lowermost blank are deflected downward by the operation of the picker fingers, the adjacent blank is engaged and raised by the insertion of the elevator fingers between the lowermost and adjacent blank to free the lowermost blank for feeding movement. the picker fingers are retracted to disen age and free the lowermost blank for feeding movement, and the feeder elements move the blank into engagement with the feed rolls, which, by virtue of their relatively high speed of rotation, as previously explained, rapidly move the blank out of engagement with the feeder elements. Referring now to Fig. 4, and with the parts in the position shown, it will be noted that the lowermost blank 73 rests on the supports H, 12 and I3, while portions of the edges of the blank rest on the guide portions 63 of fingers 25 and the weight of the blanks serving to rotate the fingers about their pivot pins out of en a ement with the abutments on the levers, and the springs 253 and 33 serving to maintain the guide portions of the fingers in engagement with the loweredge 0? blank .3 'fi q t e P cker fingers on the left side operate in the same manner but in opposed relationship, the following description will be confined to the operation of fingers 25 and elevator finger i9.

The pivot pin fl'i preferably positioned above the plane of the blank it, and shaft 8 is so nositioned with resp ct to the pivot pin and to the lowermost blank that on counter-clockwise rotation of the shaft the left end of the finger 25 moves inwardly and downwardly with the guide portion. 58 maintained in sliding engagement with the lower edge of blank lit by the action of spring 29 to insure positive engagement of the tooth 62 with the edge of the blank. Due to the pivotal mounting of the picker finger the action of the spring, the tooth looks into engagement with the blank edge, and on further counter-clockwise movement of arm El, forces the edge portion of the blank downward into the position shown in 5. During this operation the earn i l and associated mechanism rotat-es shaft l and elevator finger is a clockwise direction, so that the end portion of the elevator inserted between the deflected edge portion of blank '53 and the bottom of adjacent blank iii to engage the latter and elevate it and the stack of blanks thereabove sufiiciently to permit free feeding movement of blank '55 from beneath the pile, this elevation of the pile being shown in 6. The cam 14 is so shaped as to cause the elevator fingers to ma ntain pile elevated during an appreciable portion of one turn of the drive shaft 5, while the lobes iii and 38 of earns 35 and 36 are so arranged as to permit retraction the picker finger arms by the action of spring :13 when the is ed by the elevator fingers. Thus the picker finger ii is retracted to a point to zero the end clears the edge of the lowermost blank, whereupon clockwise rotation is imparted to the finger on pivot pin 27 by sprim 29, and guide portion moves upward into position to engage the o. the next blank, thus freeing the lowermost bla for feeding movement. At this time the of the lowermost blank F3 engage the u do des of the elevator iii in order to rum-atom said ed es deflected.

At this stage of the operation, the feeder elements have moved to the left and occupy approximately the position shown in Fig. 1.,teeth 75 formed thereon having just engaged the left edges of the minor flaps 64 and 65 preparatory to pushing the blank 73 to the right into engagement with the feed rolls. As indicated in Fig. l, the connecting rod 56 is at the left end of its travel, and on further movement of the shaft 5, the shaft l and arms 51 and 23 are rotated in a clockwise direction, and the blank 13 is moved to the right by the teeth of feeder elements 24. Here again the teeth l5 are preferably undercut and of slightly less depth than the thickness of the blanks being fed, the elements being provided with guide portions '55 and Ti adjacent the teeth. The elements are preferably so positioned with respect to the lowermost blank and the pile sup ports that the lowermost blank is maintained at all times in engagement with one or the other of the guide portions 16 and H by the weight of the lowermost blank, so that the elements actually provide some support for the lowermost blank, thus facilitating engagement of the teeth "at with the edge of the blank. Thus, with the element in the position shown in Fig. 1, the lowermost blank rests firmly against the guide portion it. During feeding movement of the feed elemeet and during subsequent retractiomthe guide portion 11 is in engagement with and partially supports the blank directly thereabove. When the elementis retracted to the position shown in Figs, 1 and 7, the blank drops on the portion 11 and on to the guide portion 16, thus insuring engagement of the toothl'5 with the edge of the blank. It is also to be noted that in the preferred form of the invention, and as illustrated in Fig. 1, the center of the shaft 9 is positioned substantially on a vertical line passing through the tooth of the feeder element 24 when the latter is in retracted position. Thus, during feeding movement of the element to the right, the path or are of travel is such that the tooth 15 tends to move downward slightly, with a resultant tendency to further separate theengaged portions of blank being fed from the next adjacent blank of the pile. During this-slight downward movement, continued engagement of the tooth with the blank is insured by'the undercut formation of the tooth.

Referring now in more detail to the arrangement of elevator finger l9, it is notedwith reference to Figs. 4 and 5, thatthe shaft I is so p0si ticned and the lower end portion of the finger so shaped that with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 5, the shaft has been rotated in a clockwise direction to swing the end of the finger into engagement with the under surface of blank 14 with the end of the lever clearing the deflected edgeof the lowermost'blank 13. On further movement in the same direction, as indicated inFig. 6, the blank 14 and the-pile are actually lifted upwardly to substantially'free the lowermost blank for feeding movement. The contour of the elevator control cam 44 and the timing thereof is such that after feeding of the lowermost blank has been initiated by the feeder elements 24 and the blank has been removed from the pile by the feed rolls, the elevator fingers are retracted to again lower the pile onto the supports H, I2 and i3, whereupon the various parts are in position to repeat the cycle of operaeon heretofore described.

As will be understoodfrom the foregoing description, it is desirable that the teeth, on the picker fingers and on the feeder elements be positively guided into engagement with the edge of the blank, and while the illustrated embodiment of the invention discloses means for moving the picker fingers and feeder elements in a manner calculated to insure such engagement, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other forms of mechanism can be used to impart the desired movements to these parts without departing in any way from the spirit of the invention. In likemanner a lesser or greater number of picker fingers and feeder fingers, as well as a greater number of elevator fingers may be employed if desired, and in this connection it is pointed out that the employment of a plurality of picker fingers and feeder fingers is a distinct advantage, as in the event the tooth of one of these fingers registers with a damaged edge portion of a blank and fails to properly engage therewith, the teeth on the remaining fingers will engageand insure proper and uninterrupted feeding action. It is also to be understood that the positive blank engaging action insured by the inward and downward motion of the picker fingers during engaging movement thereof may be insured in other ways without departing from the invention, the irnrmrtant feature being anarrangement ofthe fingers and-the path of movementthereof calculated to insure positive blankengagement under all conditions of operation, and particularly in connection with the feeding of blanks which may be moist or distorted, or which may vary slightly in dimensions, as is often the case with blanks of this type.

There has thus been illustrated and described a simple and efficient feeder mechanism of economical construction and designed to reliably feed. either perfect or imperfect carton blanks or other blanks of similar nature. It will be understood that though the invention has been described in connection with the use of carton blanks of a certain shape which include flaps M, 65, 66, E57, 68 and 89, still the invention is not limited thereto but may be employed for feeding blanks or sheets of any configuration from the bottom of a pile or stack. Also, while one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in considerable detail, it is to be specifically understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and that various changes in the design and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing in any way from the spirit of the invention. Reference will, therefore, be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A feeder for blanks and sheets comprising means movable to engage and deflect downwardly edge portions of the lowermost blank of a pile and retractable to disengage said edge portions to permit free feeding movement of said blank, pile lifting means insertable between said lowermost; blank and adjacent blank on deflection of said edge portions to lift said adjacent blank and pile to permit free feeding movement of said lowermost blank, means for feeding said lowermost blank while said pile is lifted, supporting means for said pile positioned to permit downward deflection of said edge portions of said lowermost blank by said deflecting means, and means for effecting operation of said deflecting means. lifting means, and feeding means in timed relation.

2. A feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile comprising means operable to sequentially engage opposite edges of the lowermost blank of the pile and corresponding opposite edges of the adjacent blank to separate said opposite edges of the blanks and to lift the adjacent blank and pile, and means operable in timed relationship with the first named means for feeding said lowermost blank while the pile is lifted.

3. A feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile comprising means operable to sequentially engage opposite edges of the lowermost blank and corresponding opposite edges of the adjacent blank to separate said opposite edges of the blanks and lift the adjacent blank and pile and to disengage the lowermost blank to permit feeding movement thereof, and means operable in timed relationship with the first named means for feeding said lowermost blank while the pile is lifted.

4. A feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile comprising means operable to sequentially engage opposite edges of the lowermost blank and corresponding opposite edges of the adjacent blank to separate said opposite edges of the blanks and lift the adjacent blank and pile and to disengage the lowermost blank to permit feeding movement thereof, a support for said pile positioned to permit separating movement of the lowermost blank by the first named means, and

means operable in timed relationship with the first named means for feeding said lowermost blank along said support while the pile is lifted.

5. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bot tom of a pile, means operable to sequentially engage the lowermost blank and adjacent blank to separate said blanks and lift the adjacent blank and pile including movable members for engaging and deflecting opposite edges of the lowermost blank and other movable members for engaging and lifting the adjacent blank and pile, a support for said pile positioned to permit deflection of the edges of said lowermost blank, means for feeding said lowermost blank along said support while the pile is lifted, and means for effecting operation of said first named means and feeding means in timed relationship.

6. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means for deflecting the edge of the lowermost blank downwardly including a finger having a tooth adapted to engage said edge, a guide portion engageable with the lower surface of said blank to guide said tooth into engagement with said edge, and means for insuring guiding engagement 'of said guide portion with said blank, elevator means operable on deflection of the edge of said lowermost blank by said deflecting means to engage and lift the adjacent blank and the pile, a support for said pile positioned to permit downward deflection of said edge of said lowermost blank, means operable when said pile is lifted for engaging and feeding said lowermost blank along said support, and means for effecting operation of said finger, elevator means and feeding means in timed relationship.

'7. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means for engaging and deflecting opposite edge portions of the lowermost blank downwardly and for releasing said blank for free feeding movement thereof including a pair of opposed blank deflecting fingers having teeth for engaging said blank edges, guides for guiding said teeth into engagement with said blank edges, resilient means for insuring engagement of said guides with said blank edges, means for effecting blank engaging and disengaging movement of said fingers, elevator means operable on deflection of said lowermost blank edges for engaging and lifting the adjacent blank and pile, a support for said pile positioned to permit said deflection of said lowermost blank edges, means operable when said pile is lifted for feeding said lowermost blank along said support, and means for operating said fingers, elevator means and feeding means in timed relationship.

8. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means for engaging and deflecting opposite edge portions of the lowermost blank downwardly and for releasing said blank for feeding movement thereof including a pair of opposed. blank deflecting fingers having teeth for engaging said blank edges and guide portions slideable along the bottom edges of said blank for guiding said teeth into engagement therewith, means for effecting blank engaging and disengaging movement of said fingers, and resilient connections between said last named means and fingers for urging the guide portions thereof into engagement with the bottom edges of said lowermost blank, elevator members operable on deflection of said lowermost blank edges for engaging and lifting opposite edge per- 9 ward deflection of said lowermost blank edges, means operable when said pile is lifted for feeding said lowermost blank along said support, and means for operating said finger moving means, elevator members and blank feeding means in timed relationship.

9. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means for engaging and deflecting downwardly opposite edge portions of the lowermost blank and for releasing said blank for feeding movement thereof including opposedv deflecting fingers having teeth for engaging and deflecting said blank edges and guide portions slideable along the bottom edges of said blank for guiding said teeth into engagement therewith, oscillatable arms for operating said fingers having pivoted connections therewith positioned above the plane of said lowermost blank and having resilient connections with said fingers for urging the guide portions thereof into engagement with the bottom edges of said lowermost blank, elevator members operable on deflection of said lowermost blank to enter between said blank and adjacent blank to engage and lift the latter and the blanks thereabove, a support for said pile positioned inwardly from said opposite edges of said lowermost blank to permit downward deflection of said opposite edges thereof by said deflecting fingers, means operera'ble when said adjacent blank is lifted for engaging another edge portion of said lowermost blank and for feeding the latter along said support, and means for operating said oscillatable arms, elevator members and feeding means in timed relationship.

10. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means for engaging and imparting feeding movement to the lowermost blank, means for elevating the remaining blanks to permit feeding movement of said lowermost blank, means for engaging and deflecting the edge of said lowermost blank to permit engagement of the adjacent blank by said elevating means including a plurality of toothed blank deflecting fingers having blank engaging guide portions and means for independently biasing said guide portions into engagement with the lower edge of said lowermost blank, and means for operating said feeding means, elevating means, and deflecting means in timed relationship.

11. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means for engaging and imparting feeding movement to the lowermost blank, means for elevating the remaining blanks to permit feeding movement of said lowermost .lank, means for deflecting an edge of said lowermost blank to permit engagement of the adjacent blank by said elevating means including a plurality of blank deflecting fingers having blank edge engaging teeth, guide portions engageable with said lowermost blank edge, and means associated with said fingers for independently biasing the guide portions thereof into engagement with said blank edge, and means for operating said feeding means, elevating means, and deflecting means in timed relationship.

12. A feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile including means operable to sequentially engage the lowermost blank of the pile and the adjacent blank to separate said blanks and to lift the adjacent blank and pile, means operable in timed relationship with the first named means for engaging and imparting feeding movement to said lowermost blank while the pile is lifted, and means operable in timed 10 relationship with thefirst and second named means for engaging and moving said lowermost blank away from said feeding means at a speed of movement greater than that imparted to said blank by said feeding means.

13. A feeder for feeding blanks from the bota tom of a pile including means operable to sequentially engage the lowermost blank and adjacent blank to separate said blanks and lift the adjacent blank and pile and to disengage the lowermost blank to permit substantially free feeding movement thereof, a support for said pile positioned relative to the longitudinal edges thereof to permit separating movement of the lowermost blank by the first named means, and means operable in timed relationship with the first named means for engaging and imparting feeding movement to said lowermost blank along said supporting including a feeder element having a tooth for engaging an edge portion of said blank, and guide portions on either side of said tooth positioned respectively for engagement with the under surface of said lowermost blank prior to and during feeding movement of said element for insuring engagement of said tooth with said edge portion.

14. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, means operable to sequentially engage the lowermost blank and adjacent blank to separate said blanks and to lift the adjacent blank and pile including a finger for engaging and deflecting the edge of the lowermost blank downwardly and a member for engaging and moving the adjacent blank and the blanks thereabove upwardly, means for feeding said lowermost blank along said support and for deflecting portions of said blank downwardly during feeding movement including a feeder element having a tooth for engaging an edge portion of said lowermost blank, and means for effecting operation of said first named means and feeding means in timed relationship and for moving said tooth and the portion of said lowermost blank engaged therewith downward with respect to said support during feeding movement of said element.

15. In a feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile, a support for said blanks, means for deflecting opposite edges of said lowermost blank downwardly including a pair of opposed oscillatable fingers provided with blank engaging teeth, means operable during downward deflection of said lowermost blank edges for engaging and deflecting upwardly edge portions of the adjacent blank including a second pair of opposed oscillatable fingers, means including a feeder element for engaging and imparting feeding movement to said lowermost blank while said adjacent blank is deflected upwardly, and means for operating said first and second named oscillatable fingers and said feeder element in timed relationship.

16. A feeder for feeding blanks from the bottom of a pile of blanks, comprising a stationary support for said pile, means for deflecting opposite side edges of the bottom blank downwardly, means operable during deflection of said side edges of the bottom blank to engage the ad- .lacent blank and raise the latter and the remaining blanks of the pile upwardly from the bottom blank to free the bottom blank from the pile, and means for feeding the bottom blank along said support while the pile is raised.

17. The method of successively feeding the 11 bottom blank from a pile of blanks on a stationary support which comprises, engaging the side edges of the bottom blank and deflecting said edges downwardly, then raising the remaining blanks of the pile from the bottom blank and the support while said side edges of the bottom blank are deflected, then releasing said side edges of the bottom blank, and finally engaging and feeding the bottom blank from the pile while the latter is raised.

ARTHUR J. LEWIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date Reynolds May 13, 1902 Reifsnyder Jan. 9, 1917 Brigham Nov. 14, 1922 Swangren Oct. 30, 1928 Bush May 1, 1934-. Roberts et al. Jan. 8, 1935 Ford Oct. 8, 1935 Felber Jan. 27, 1942 

